H. Wells - Английский язык с Г. Уэллсом Человек-невидимка

artery [`RtqrI], acid [`xsId], infant [`Infqnt], retina [`retInq], forehead [`fOrId, `fLhed]

“The pain had passed. I thought I was killing myself and I did not care. I shall never forget that dawn, and the strange horror of seeing that my hands had become as clouded glass, and watching them grow clearer and thinner as the day went by, until at last I could see the sickly disorder of my room through them, though I closed my transparent eyelids. My limbs became glassy, the bones and arteries faded, vanished, and the little white nerves went last. I gritted my teeth and stayed there to the end. At last only the dead tips of the fingernails remained, pallid and white, and the brown stain of some acid upon my fingers.

“I struggled up. At first I was as incapable as a swathed infant — stepping with limbs I could not see. I was weak and very hungry. I went and stared at nothing in my shaving-glass, at nothing save where an attenuated pigment still remained behind the retina of my eyes, fainter than mist. I had to hang on to the table and press my forehead against the glass.

“It was only by a frantic effort of will that I dragged myself back to the apparatus and completed the process (только отчаянным напряжением воли я дотащился обратно до аппарата и завершил процесс).

“I slept during the forenoon, pulling the sheet over my eyes to shut out the light (я проспал до полудня, накрыв глаза простыней, чтобы защититься от света; to shut out — недопускать; загораживать; to shut — закрывать, запирать ), and about midday I was awakened again by a knocking (и около полудня я снова был разбужен стуком /в дверь/). My strength had returned (силы вернулись ко мне). I sat up and listened and heard a whispering (я сел, прислушался и услышал шепот). I sprang to my feet and as noiselessly as possible began to detach the connections of my apparatus (вскочил на ноги и как можно тише принялся разбирать аппарат; to detach — отделять, отсоединять; connection — связь, соединение ), and to distribute it about the room (и рассовывать /части/ по комнате; to distribute — распределять, разбрасывать ), so as to destroy the suggestions of its arrangement (чтобы уничтожить намеки на его устройство = чтобыскрытьустройствоаппарата ). Presently the knocking was renewed and voices called (затем стук возобновился, послышались голоса), first my landlord’s, and then two others (сначала домовладельца, потом два других).

completed [kqm`plJtId], forenoon [`fLnHn], listened [`lIs(q)nd], distribute [dIs`trIbjHt]

“It was only by a frantic effort of will that I dragged myself back to the apparatus and completed the process.

“I slept during the forenoon, pulling the sheet over my eyes to shut out the light, and about midday I was awakened again by a knocking. My strength had returned. I sat up and listened and heard a whispering. I sprang to my feet and as noiselessly as possible began to detach the connections of my apparatus, and to distribute it about the room, so as to destroy the suggestions of its arrangement. Presently the knocking was renewed and voices called, first my landlord’s, and then two others.

“To gain time I answered them (чтобы выиграть время, я ответил им). The invisible rag and pillow came to hand (невидимые тряпка и подушка попались под руку) and I opened the window and pitched them out on to the cistern cover (я открыл окно и выбросил их на крышку бака для воды). As the window opened, a heavy crash came at the door (когда открывалось окно, дверь сильно затрещала). Someone had charged it with the idea of smashing the lock (кто-то навалился на нее /плечом/, надеясь выбить замок). But the stout bolts I had screwed up some days before stopped him (но прочные засовы, привинченные мной несколько дней назад, остановили его). That startled me, made me angry (эта попытка вломиться встревожила меня и разозлила). I began to tremble and do things hurriedly (я задрожал и начал все делать в спешке).

“I tossed together some loose paper, straw (я торопливо собрал в кучу листки бумаги, солому), packing paper and so forth, in the middle of the room (оберточную бумагу и прочее в середине комнаты), and turned on the gas (и открыл газ). Heavy blows began to rain upon the door (сильные удары посыпались в дверь; torain— идти, литься /о дожде/; сыпаться /градом/ ). I could not find the matches (я не мог найти спички). I beat my hands on the wall with rage (я стал яростно колотить кулаками по стене).

answered [`Rnsqd], charged [CRGd], stout [staut], screwed [skrHd]

“To gain time I answered them. The invisible rag and pillow came to hand and I opened the window and pitched them out on to the cistern cover. As the window opened, a heavy crash came at the door. Someone had charged it with the idea of smashing the lock. But the stout bolts I had screwed up some days before stopped him. That startled me, made me angry. I began to tremble and do things hurriedly.

“I tossed together some loose paper, straw, packing paper and so forth, in the middle of the room, and turned on the gas. Heavy blows began to rain upon the door. I could not find the matches. I beat my hands on the wall with rage.

“I turned down the gas again (я снова завернул газ), stepped out of the window on the cistern cover (вылез через окно на крышку бака для воды), very softly lowered the sash (очень тихо опустил раму), and sat down, secure and invisible (и сел, в безопасности, невидимый), but quivering with anger, to watch events (но дрожа от гнева, и стал наблюдать за событиями). They split a panel, I saw (я видел, как они сломали доски /двери/; to split — раскалывать, разбивать ), and in another moment they had broken away the staples of the bolts (через миг отбили скобы засовов; to break-broke-broken ) and stood in the open doorway (и стояли в открытой двери). It was the landlord and his two step-sons (это были домовладелец и два его пасынка), sturdy young men of three or four and twenty (дюжие молодые люди двадцати трех и двадцати четырех лет). Behind them fluttered the old hag of a woman from downstairs (за ними суетилась старая ведьма снизу; hag — ведьма, карга, колдунья, чародейка ).

“You may imagine their astonishment to find the room empty (можете представить себе их изумление, когда они нашли комнату пустой). One of the younger men rushed to the window at once (один из парней сразу бросился к окну), flung it up and stared out (быстро поднял его и выглянул на улицу). His staring eyes and thick-lipped bearded face came a foot from my face (его вытаращенные глаза и толстогубая бородатая физиономия находились в футе от моего лица). I was half minded to hit his silly countenance (мне хотелось ударить по этой глупой роже; to have half a mind to do something — подумывать, быть не прочь сделать что-либо; countenance — лицо, выражение лица ), but I arrested my doubled fist (но я сдержал сжатый кулак). He stared right through me (он глядел прямо сквозь меня).

secure [sI`kjuq], countenance [`kauntInqns], doubled [dAbld]

“I turned down the gas again, stepped out of the window on the cistern cover, very softly lowered the sash, and sat down, secure and invisible, but quivering with anger, to watch events. They split a panel, I saw, and in another moment they had broken away the staples of the bolts and stood in the open doorway. It was the landlord and his two step-sons, sturdy young men of three or four and twenty. Behind them fluttered the old hag of a woman from downstairs.

“You may imagine their astonishment to find the room empty. One of the younger men rushed to the window at once, flung it up and stared out. His staring eyes and thick-lipped bearded face came a foot from my face. I was half minded to hit his silly countenance, but I arrested my doubled fist. He stared right through me.

“So did the others as they joined him (так же /глядели сквозь меня/ и остальные, присоединившись к нему). The old man went and peered under the bed (старик пошел заглянул под кровать), and then they all made a rush for the cupboard (а затем все они бросились к буфету). They had to argue about it at length in Yiddish and Cockney English (они долго обсуждали происшествие на идише и кокни; to argue — спорить; обсуждать/вполемике/; Cockney — кокни, лондонское просторечие /для которогохарактерно особое произношение, неправильность речи и т.д./ ). They concluded I had not answered them, that their imagination had deceived them (они пришли к заключению, что я им не отвечал, что воображение обмануло их = что им это почудилось ). A feeling of extraordinary elation took the place of my anger (чувство необычайного восторга сменило гнев) as I sat outside the window and watched these four people (когда я сидел за окном и наблюдал за этими четырьмя людьми) — for the old lady came in (поскольку старуха /тоже/ вошла), glancing suspiciously about her like a cat (подозрительно озираясь, словно кошка), trying to understand the riddle of my behaviour (пытаясь осмыслить загадку моего поведения = мое загадочное поведение; behaviour — поведение; поступки, манеры; tobehave— вести себя, поступать ).

“The old man, so far as I could understand his patois (старик, насколько я мог понять его говор /фр./), agreed with the old lady that I was a vivisectionist (соглашался со старухой, что я занимаюсь вивисекцией). The sons protested in garbled English that I was an electrician (его сыновья возражали на ломаном английском, что я электротехник; to garble — искажать ), and appealed to the dynamos and radiators (и ссылались на динамо-машины и излучатели). They were all nervous about my arrival (все они беспокоились о моем возвращении), although I found subsequently that they had bolted the front door (хотя, как я узнал впоследствии, они заперли парадную дверь; bolt — засов, задвижка ).